Friday, August 6, 2010

A proper Luncheon...

Ah, Bergdorf Goodman...bastion of wealth, privilege and all things ultra-luxe. It's long been the ne-plus-ultra when it comes to department store shopping. Situated at the top of 5th Avenue where the Park meets the City and the beginnings of the chicest bits of the Upper East Side, its no wonder why this place has long been the stomping grounds of the zeitgeist makers of society...

...but did you know they have a restaurant? Unlike most Department store restaurants, and in usual Goodman style they set out to create not just any old restaurant, they hired the interior designer / zeitgeist fashionista and incomparably brilliant Kelly Wearstler to oversee their culinary undertaking...

...Known for her fantastical mix of old, new, eclectic, vintage and sometimes just-so-ugly-you-want-one-in-every-colour, Kelly's interiors are practically 3 dimensional characters unto themselves. However, being the place to lunch for the Uptown Crowd, not only did Kelly manage to instill a certain sense of subdued chicness with that ever-present vintage-cool she's known for, But whats more, the space maintains its own sense of character and uniqueness while still being approachable and understated enough to make it visually appealing to a wide spectrum of Bergdorf Goodman's demanding and eclectic mix of patrons.

...A friend of mine and I came here for Lunch on a brief 2 day trip into the City for the Guggenheim / Andrew Bird concert series/exhibit, and we both found the experience entirely worthwhile (We managed to nab one of those hooded leather chair tables overlooking Central Park). While the prices may be a bit steep at ~$30ish dollars for a good salad, the service, the cuisine, and the experience was more than worth it...we left feeling like we ourselves were both a part of that rarefied world of American aristocracy and principled privilege...